JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, April 2009. Vol. 3(1), p.

235-238

Antimicrobial Screening of Asparagus racemosus

on Aquatic, Plant and Human Pathogens
Varaprasad Bobbarala, D. Bindu Maduri, G. Srinivasa Rao and D. Aryamithra

For U Biosciences, A/4A, Park lane Residency, East Point Colony, Visakhapatnam - 530 017, India.

(Received: 20 November 2008; accepted: 07 January 2009)

Three different organic solvents which include hexane, chloroform and methanol
were used to extract the bioactive compounds from the root of Asparagus racemosus to screen
the antimicrobial activity against selected plant, aqua and human clinical pathogens by agar
diffusion method. The methonolic extract of A. racemosus was more active against 90% of
the organisms tested. It was followed by chloroform extract (75%) and hexane extract (20%)
in inhibiting the growth of the organisms tested. The crude extracts of A. racemosus had
broad spectrum of activity because they inhibit the growth of both gram positive, gram negative
bacteria and fungal pathogens as well.

Key words: Asparagus racemosus, Crude extracts,

Bacterial and fungal pathogens, antimicrobial activity.

So many antibiotic resistant bacterial strains were
developed due to the improper use of a number of
broad spectrum antibacterial drugs (Kandhasamy
et al. (2008). Moreover Natural and synthetic
antibiotics produce side effects to the Consumers
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail: varaprasadphd@rediffmail.com
(Tomin and Tomasz, 1986). To overcome this
problem, scientists are more interested to develop
new antibiotics from unicellular organisms, fungi,
algae and higher plants. Among them, higher plants
play an important role by producing large number
of organic compounds as secondary metabolites,
which can be used as self defense. They act as
bioactive compounds, chemotherapeutic,
bactericidal, and bacteriostatic agents (Evans et
al., 1986: Purohit and Bohra 1998). As a result,
antimicrobial substances derived from plants have
received considerable attention in recent years.
Several plants are used in folk medicine and other
tradisional medicine as aseptic agents throughout
the world.
Asparagus is the Greek word for “stalk”
or “shoot”. About 300 species of Asparagus are
known to occur in the world. Asparagus racemosus
or “Satavar” is a creeper of the plant genus
asperagus it contains adventitious root system with
tuberous roots. For each plant, many tuberous roots
are present. These tuberous roots after proper
236 BOBBARALA et al.: ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF Asparagus racemosus
processing and drying are used as medicine in
Ayurveda, with the name of Shatavari.
The Asparagus genus is considered to be of
medicinal importance because of the presence of
steroidal saponins and sapogenins in various parts
of the plant (oketch-Rabah HA 1998; Rao SB
1952; Shao YU et al., 1997). Out of several
species of ‘Asparagus’ grown in India, A.
racemosus, A. gonaclades and A. adsendens are
most commonly used in indigenous medicine. A.
racemosus is commonly mentioned as a rasayana
in the Ayurveda (Nadkarni AK 1954). Rasayanas
are those plant drugs which promote general well
being of an individual by increasing cellular vitality
or resistance. Beneficial effects of the root of A.
racemosus are suggested in nervous disorders,
dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dysentry, tumors,
inflammations, hyperdipsia, neuropathy,
hepatopathy, cough, bronchitis, hyperacidity and
certain infectious diseases (Chopra RN et al., 1994;
Dalvi SS et al., 1990). A study of ancient classical
Ayurvedic literature claimed several therapeutic
attributes for the root of A. racemosus (Hindi as
Shatavari) and has been specially recommended
in cases of threatened abortion and as a
galactogogue (Narendranath KA et al., 1986;
Sholapurkar ML et al., 1986). Based on
information the root of Asparagus racemosus was
selected to evaluate its antimicrobial activity.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Plant description
The plant A. racemosus, used in this study
belongs to the family asparagaceae. A thorny,
climbing undershrub with woody stems. Young
stems are very delicate, brittle and smooth; leaves
are reduced to minute scales and spines. Curved
cladodes replace the leaves. Flowers are white
fragrant, in simple or branched recemes. Fruits are
globular, or vaguely 3 lobbed, pulpy berries,
purplish black when ripe, seeds with hard and
brittle testa. Roots are succulent and tuberous, from
30 cm to 1 m in length, smooth and tapering at
both ends.
Plant processing
The plant material used in the present
study is the root of Asparagus racemosus. The
roots were removed using sterile scalpel and
washed with sterile distilled water. They were
J. Pure & Appl. Microbiol., 3(1), April 2009.
chopped into small pieces and dried in shade and
made into fine powder using blender. The powder
was used for soxhlet extraction of biologically
active compounds.
Solvents used
Organic solvents such as Hexane,
Chloroform and Methonol were used for the
extraction of the biologically active compounds.
Micro organisms used in the present study
Bacteria and Fungi causing diseases in
plants, humans, and aquaculture were used in the
present study. Among bacteria they were both gram
positive and gram negative. Ten gram negative
bacteria were Aeromonas hydrophila, Erwinia
caratovora, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella
pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Pseudomonas marginale, Pseudomonas syringae
, Peudomonas spp., Vibrio spp. and Xanthomonas
campestris. Nine gram positive bacteria were
Enterococus fecalies, lactobacillus acidophilus,
Lactobacillus fermentum, Micrococus leuteus,
Staphylococus aureus, Staphylococus faciolences,
Streptococus mitis, Streptococcus mutans
streptococus thermophilus. Eleven plant
pathogenic fungi were Acremonium strictum,
Alternaria alternate, Aspergillusflavus, Bipolaris
bicolor, Cladosporium herbarum, Curvularia
lunata, Fusarium oxysporum, Pencillium
expansum, Rhizoctonia solani, Ustigo maydis and
one human pathogenic fungi Candida albicans.
Extraction procedure
150g of powder of root of Asparagus
racemosus was weighed and packed with filter
paper as a roll and placed in a soxhalet apparatus.
Through the soxhalet extraction process plant
material was extracted into round bottom flak.
Then it was condensed via condensation process
and collected into a beaker, store in a refrigerator
for further use.
Culture medium
Nutrient agar and Potato dextrose agar
were used to study antibacterial and anti fungal
activities respectively of root of A. racemosus.
Inoculum preparation
Pure cultures of bacterial and fungal
pathogens removed and transferred to nutrient
broth, potato dextrose broth respectively and
incubated at 37p C /24h. The tubidity was adjusted
to that of standard level by adding sterile Nutrient
broth and Potato dextrose broth.
 BOBBARALA et al.: ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF Asparagus racemosus
Assay of antimicrobial activity by pour plate
technique
Antibacterial activity was carried out by
agar diffusion method (Bauer et al., 1966). 0.1ml
of 24 hours old culture of bacterial or fungal
pathogen was mixed with sterilized, tap water
cooled respective agar medium and poured into
petridish. After solidification made appropriate
wells by using cork metal borer with a diameter of
6mm. Then the crude extract was placed in
respective wells at equal distance. The plates were
kept at room temperature for 25min, which helps
to diffuse the extract into the medium. Later plates
were incubated at 37p c /24h to determine the
antifungal or antibacterial activity of the respective
solvent extract of A .racemosus
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The efficacy of different solvent extracts
of A. racemosus on antifungal and antibacterial
activity was shown in table 1. Frequent uses of
antibiotics make the organisms resistant to such
antibiotics (Sydney et al., 1980). Chloroform and
methanolic extracts of root of A.racemosus
exhibited broad spectrum of antibacterial as well
as antifungal activity. In the present study it was
observed that methanolic and chloroform extracts
inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria and
fungi 90% and 75% respectively. Whereas hexane
extract exhibited 20% of activity against
pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
The broad spectrum of antibacterial and
anti fungal of these extracts was due to the presence
of active principle present in the extracts. The
bioactive compounds may be polar molecules like
saponins (Singh and Gupta, 2008) responsible for
broad spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal
activity (Kafaru, 1994). Both gram positive and
gram negative bacteria were sensitive to the
Methanolic and chloroform extracts tested. Among
gram positive bacteria tested Streptococcus mutans
(Dental caries) was more sensitive to the
Methanolic (25mm), Chloroform (22mm) extracts
of A. racemosus. Among gram negative bacteria
tested Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas
aeriginosa and Aeromonas hydrophila were more
sensitive to the Methanolic all of them produced
(22mm) Zone of inhibition. Whereas chloroform
extracts produced 20mm, 19mm, and 22mm of
237
inhibition zone respectively. Methanolic extracts
of A. racemosus exhibited high antifungal against
Alternaria alternate (24mm), Cladosprium
herbarum (23mm), Candida albicans (22mm),
fusarium oxysporum (20mm), Tiarosporella
phureolina (20mm). Whereas chloroform extracts
of A. racemosus shown maximum activity against
Alternaria alternate (23mm), fusarium oxysporum
(22mm), Candida albicans (20mm),
Cladosporium herbarum (20mm) and
Tiarosporella phaseolina (20mm). The study
supported the claim of the usefulness of the A.
racemosus in candiosis and dental caries infections
and also suggests its use in plant diseases and
diseases in aquaculture caused by pathogenic
bacteria and fungi. Hence it can be used and
administered in the medical practices while treating
with above diseases.
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